American Music Club – This band is still around? Mark Eitzel’s unibrow always made me profoundly uncomfortable and I feel like he always wanted to be Michelle Shocked.

The Antlers – Saw these guys open for the National in Philly. Not bad. Very pretty. Very sincere. A little much for everyday listening unless you live in condo of snow. Might sound nice with a hangover.

The Appleseed Cast – These guys are important in the long arm of Midwestern emo. Their last record was a little less Get Up Kids and a lot more Explosions in the Sky without the routine bombast. They’re playing three times. We should see them once because this shit is pretty.

Art Vs. Science – Linear dance pop. Not all angularity like those New York art kids. Goofy. A less talented LCD. Could be fun as fuck, actually. Let’s do drugs.

Asobi Seksu – Japanese New Order love with a female singer and a little, bitty shoegaze burst. It’s Polyvinyl. We’re seeing them once, at least.

The Atlas Moth – Another band that wants to be Isis who wanted to be Neurosis. Wimpy. Screams. Beards. Probably have great t-shirts.

Baths – One man, a laptop and some mutton chops. I actually don’t mind the half dance/half emo pulse. It’ll likely be boring as sin to stand and watch but the kids fucking love it so it could, also, be a helleva lot of fun.

Beach Fossils – Chillwave. Fuck them.

Bear Hands – I’ve been wondering about this band forever. Definitely the better of the Bear bands. Nothing terribly special. Beach music for dudes in wool caps.

Birds of Avalon – Is this band for real? 70s rock up the ass. Bar band. The more I listen to them, the more embarrassed I am.

Black Angels – Fried psych. Hometown boys. The last record was a little pop but I hope the but on the bad time acid vibes.

Black Lips – You know ‘em.

Black Heart Procession – Dunno why people love these guys but then again, I hate Shudder to Think.

Bombay Bicycle Club – Remember when the Bloc Party showed up and everyone went crazy and then their next record sucked? Yeah. They should’ve turned into the BBC. I imagine I hype fest on this one.

Braids – My girlfriend wanted to use this band in a Danish shoe commercial if that means anything. Really pretty. Makes me incredibly sad for some reason.

The Calm Blue Sea – Postrock. They sound like a less dynamic Explosions in the Sky only not quite.

Cast Spells – Dude from Maps and Atlases. Lots going on. Really lovely music. Much less headache inducing than his other band. Has an AMAZING song called “A Badge”. Borders on hippy but stays on bearded geek.

Castevet – AAAaaaaauuuggghh. Not the Chicago band I fucking adore. Smarter metal than one might expect but nothing boggling. A good, honest headbang.

Casiokids – Adorable electro. I think Ben’s gonna hate this dude’s voice. Really sounds like the Sigur Ros dude but…flat? You might be able to dance to it. Did you know they have a genre called Blisswave? Yeah.

Caspian – More rock than postrock but not much…Explosions have a LOT to answer for these days. Never mind Godspeed and Mogwai. Actually, they’re blow-ups definitely get a little metaly but there’s an underlying keyboard thing that just…eh.

Cheeseburger – Party. Drunk rock party band. We should get WASTED with these dudes.

Chromeo – duh.

Cloud Nothings – REALLY like the Smiths. Like. REALLY like the Smiths but think that Johnny Marr sucks. I think Eric likes to wake up to this band. I saw them open for Superchunk and blacked out into the second song.

Crowbar – FAT MAN METAL!

Cults – A mysterious pop love couple band. Everyone’s going to be on this shit. 60s retro vibe except they don’t sound like their trapped in David Lynch’s radiator.

The Cynics – Garage rock on GET HIP! Didn’t realize they were still around. Either sloppy fun or sad old men. Who can say?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr – Eh. Did you like them, Ben?

Das Racist – Another band everyone’s gonna be all over.

Dax Riggs – Is Luke coming? He LOVES this dude.

The Dears – Canadian pop. Seem too smart to actually have a good time not unlike the Decemberists or Okkervil River. Dude sounds a shit ton like David Bowie.

The Death Set – Fucking hipster scumbag pieces of shit. Imagine lots of young drunks and neon. If I didn’t know fuck all about them, I’d think this was kind of awesome. Screamy dance. Anti-Japanther. I thought one of them was dead.

Deathcrush – Yeah. I want a t-shirt.

Devotchka – New romantics keeping the cello alive. I used to think they were a goofy Russian dance band. They, most emphatically, are not.

Die! Die! Die! – Saw these guys open for Wire and they fucking slayed. They’re from New Zealand. Think noisy 4AD. Dude’s kinda got an irritating voice but as memory serves he screams a lot.

Diplo – Yeah, we’re seeing Diplo.

The Dodos – All the rage a few years ago. What happened? I blame the Arcade Fire.

Drag the River – Some whiskey rock. Like Drive By Truckers without the art.

Dum Dum Girls – Lofi 60s girl group recorded and performed bored and in tin. Could be rad. Prolly not, but fuck it.

East Bay Ray and Eddie Spaghetti and Exene Cervenka are each doing something. Just…you know.

Ebsen and the Witch – I don’t know how we’re NOT going to see this neuvo Goths at SXSW. I like the new pop goth because I can’t escape my sad self. Um. Yeah.

Eskimo – Someone’s been catching up on their Resident’s records at the wake of Captain Beefheart.